Friday, June 30, 2006

And one finished sock! More to come.Grandma loved hers, I have a photo of her modeling them, but not handy.

So here's the yarns. First batch. My Mom is moving, so she passed on most her stash to me. Unfortunately, I'm not that into these kinds of stuff. In return, I'd love vareigated sock yarns. I'm a fan of natural fibers. But make me an offer, who knows?

Koigu Kersti in a camo like colorway - deep greens, grays.

GGH Mohair in sage green and a light pumpkiny orange (the pic makes it look darker). Trendsetter Dune in golds and reds and oranges.2 sk of a funky Trendsetter novelty yarn with light gold and cream "paper" fabric squares on a cream or light gold thread.And in the back, another yarn also with the little "paper" fabric squares on a black thread. The squares in that one match the sage and pumpkin of the mohair. Can take another photo if necessary.

Alaskan worsted weight 2 ply in deep blue, a teal green and cream. My camera added a lot of gray to the colors, they aren't so "dusty".A pattern for fun fur felted purses and a pattern to make a small sheep toy with yarns.

2 skeins of black fun fur.Ladder yarn black with greens and blues.Another ladder yarn in gray with lighter blues and silver and gray.A cotton with teals and grays and lots more colors. Got washed out in the pic.

Pixel metallic yarn. Artyarns fluffy yarn in mustard and blue.

Like I said, just not my stuff. But good stuff if you like novelty yarns!

I'm also a fan of cash, and that won't increase the stash, so make me an offer . I'm thinking roughly $5 a skein, and shipping. Most of em are worth around $10-15 ea.Any specific questions, just email me. It's all non smoking, no pets.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

And then off again. Here are Grandma's finished socks. These are my second pair ever, so don't look TOO closely. I'm still learning some lessons. Like how to pick up along the sides of the heel flap. They're fine. A few mistakes that would bug me, but Grandma isn't a knitter. She'll never see them. I did a good job with the kitchner, which I thought I'd royally F up so I can walk away feeling good!

Grandma will LOVE them - and since they're Grandmaflage, they'll match pretty much everything she owns.

Now that I'm a veteran sock knitter, I'm tackling a real sock. One with detail. These are Interweave Knits Simply Lovely Lace Socks in a Regia colorway I loved. They are for a friend who's in the hospital on bedrest - something to jazz up that paper gown, right? So far I'm at the end of the first heel flap. Planning to finish em in New Jersey....

My camera SUCKS so you have to use your imagination and pretend it's in focus. I'm seeing an increasing problem here with this shitty camera. Could be it's time for me to actually buy my own!

In other news, This has been taking up lots of our time......

Monday, June 19, 2006

But not much. It's really hard to think about knitting when summer comes. I just don't want to sit still. But I managed to for a few minutes while Zoe was napping and finished the two front halves of Craig's Cambridge Cardigan. The above photo FINALLY does the colors justice. Aren't they great? I love them. Below are the fronts in all their finished glory.

As for other knitting news, Grandmaflage is going slowly. Don't love the feel of the cotton. The heel flap hates me. Or maybe I'm just not concentrating, appreciating, feeeeeling it. Have had to rip it 4 times already. But I do have to face the music soon - am seeing Grandma next week!

And although I can't knit, I can wind some skeins. And I can buy some yarn. Of course.

So below is the amazing green Arcuania Nature Wool I got from Amber. 9 skeins! The perfect Apple Green/Lime Green color I've been wanting. I think my camera doesn't like yarn closeups. They get all fuzzy. It's a shitty camera, a handme down from Mom. But when you're spending all the cash on yarn, who can buy a camera?

Monday, June 12, 2006

Apparently I am going through the stash with small gifts for my buddies.

Jen liked her hat, and since really nothing could really kill the look she had going,

she decided to wear it.

For my other buddy, Lisa, I used up the remainder of my brown and purple manos - of cardigan with flower button fame. I loved that yarn, but after a loong looong time, I am glad to see the rest of it gone. And hey, using up more of the stash right?

So we won't talk now about the NEW yarn I got from Amber. Lets just say there's alot more going IN the stash than the one, two, three skeins gone OUT. But oooh. Apple greens and hand dyed violets and... And I'll leave that for another day.

On the magic loop front, here is one Grandma sock done, one in the works. We are calling this colorway Grandmaflage since we believe that the socks will be absolutely invisible to the naked eye if they stand very still in her condo. They perfectly match her pink chairs, blue sofa and cream walls. Not to mention all the other color coordinated tchockes and stuff.

She'll love 'em.I just hope she doesn't drop them in the living room. She may never see them again.

Friday, June 09, 2006

I'm feeling like the master of intarsia!Jen wanted a brown hat with purple dots.I had the yarn. I took out the graph paper, drew a design of x's, figured out some simple math and not 24 hours later, ta da!

Now Maya wants a unicorn. Shouldn't get so cocky, should I? I may have to deliver on that someday. Her alternate idea is Pegasus. yeah. That'll happen too.

And WOW, what scary bags I have under my eyes from THIS angle.... remember the Sex And The City where Carrie poses for the magazine article she thinks is about hot singles in the city?Anyone else seeing the resemblance?

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Knit out of ugly BRIGHT red acrylic yarn, with giant pom poms. My father in law was kind enough to give Craig his set of clubs, and all the possible accessories a golfer could need.

Unfortuately, when one is given such a gift, taste doesn't really enter into the equation, does it?

I've been charged with the job of replacing these. Might knit them, or might find some real ones at a golf store, haven't yet decided. Do I really want to knit driver covers when there area lace shawls, sweaters, scarves and hats calling my name??

I'll think about it when I finish my socks.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

I had been wondering what to call this post and then I read Monica's latest on TwoLeftNeedles. How true.

I have been diligently knitting away, going through the stash. You've been watching. You know. I only fell off the wagon to buy books! I even managed to get my entire stash to fit inside one fisherman's trunk - with room to spare. No more shopping bags full and strays lying about around the room.

In fact, I have a few things on the needles too. Slippers for Grandma, Socks for Grandma, another tank for Maya, a scarf for a friend, and the Cambridge Cardigan. All chipping away at the stash.

And then I went to the Wild and Wooly Sale. Oh well. In just minutes, I have two big new bags. And $200 on my MasterCard. And Grandma's new sock yarn and a happy face measuring tape that Zoe absolutely was not going to leave without. (sucker)

And the trunk won't exactly close anymore. In my defense, both bags are destinged to be absolutely fabulous sweaters this fall. The kind of sweaters that basically anchor your fall wardrobe and make people stop and stare. Fashion statements. Never mind that I have no patterns in mind yet. We'll get there later. Am open to ideas.....

So here's what I got. A bag of each, enough yardage for substantial sweater like garments:

Wow, my digital camera sucks. It's around 10 years old. Hand me down from my Mom, so my complaints are kind of moot. I'm too cheap to buy a good one. At least you can see the colors.

The top skein is a big chunky Rowan Tweed. I loved the brick red with bright orange and blue and green flecks. It won't need cables or anything since the yarn is so cool, will knit up in no time on 10.5s. Am imagining some kind of chunky cardigan? What won't add 50lbs if knit in chunky yarn? A deep V? A belted wrap? A question I might have thought of IN the yarn store....

The second is Classic Elite Renaissance, and I have been wanting to do someting in a variegated apricot, so voila! I might try and turn this into Starsky from KNitty. A shawl collared, belted, cabled number. Also love the way they make it into yarn challah. A big fat braid o wool. I made a hat out of this earlier in the year and really liked the light soft feel of the yarn - should have a nice drape to it...

It could have been worse. I really also want to make something in apple green. But the apple green bags there didn't have enough for a whole sweater. So really, I SAVED money, didn't I?

So anyways, no pics of actual projects today. Plugging away on Cambridge, about a half a sock into Grandma's. Stay tuned for all the rest. Missing KS as I type. Went to the gym instead (oh yeah, and LONDON. The husband is all babysitted out and deserves a rest....)